Page 26 of Once Upon a Midnight Clear

Chapter 10

Nicholasthrewcoinsonthe table to pay for their meal. Then shoved his chair back. He flung his cloak around his shoulders.

“Come on.”

She got up, slipping the strap of the sack over her shoulder, then pulling on her cloak to conceal it.

“Where are we going?”

“We have to get out of here,” he said.

By then, the patrons of the tavern had spilled out into the street. Several were armed with swords. Outside, women gripped their daughters and hurried to get out of the village square, but it was too late. The queen stood near the enormous tree, her black dress fluttering behind her in the slight breeze. Ella lifted her hood, her heart in her throat. Nicholas pushed her behind him and armed himself with a small dagger.

“Stay behind me,” he said over his shoulder.

She wasn’t sure what good the dagger would do against the Queen of Darkness and Shadow, but she trusted him. More than she trusted anyone with her life.

“If I say run, then do it. Head south toward the alleyway behind the tavern.”

“What about you?” She moved closer to him. So close, she smelled a woodsy scent.

“I’ll find you.”

Before them, Malvina lifted her arms. In a poof of red smoke, several armed guards appeared by her side blocking the entrance gate to the village. Then, with another flick of her wrist, a girl appeared in front of her. She had two long braids on each side of her head and a gag around her mouth. Her eyes were glassy with fear. Her hands were tied in front of her. Malvina placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder as if to show dominance over her and as a warning to those who would try to retrieve her. One man charged. Malvina made a motion with her hand. He flew backward into the crowd, landing on the ground with a thud. The sword in his hand clattered on the cobblestones.

“If anyone else tries, you will die,” she said in her dark, mellifluous voice. “Now that I have your attention.” She emitted a deep laugh as she moved to stand behind the girl, placing both hands on her shoulders. “You are all under my command. You will leave when I allow it. Where are the slippers?”

Indeed, Ella sensed some powerful force over them, keeping them all rooted in place. She tried to take a step backward but it was no use.

The queen briefly surveyed the crowd, the intensity of her stare alighting on each and every face. Ella peered around Nicholas, her heart in her throat. When the queen looked right at her, she sucked in a sharp breath. Nicholas wrapped his arm around her giving her a nudge behind him once again.

“I sense the magic,” the queen said. “Bring them to me and I will release the girl. If you refuse…” Her hands tightened on the girl’s shoulders. She flinched, squeezing her eyes closed.

Malvina snapped her fingers. One of her guards stepped forward. She shoved the girl into his arms, then began to walk toward the crowd. Her dark, glittering eyes full of menace and disgust paused on everyone in her path.

“They are here,” she said. “Somewhere among you. A young woman, perhaps. Or a young girl. It matters not to me. Give me slippers and I will return to my mountain.”

Nicholas sheathed the dagger with a smooth motion that was hardly noticeable. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. Ella stiffened behind him. She watched his hand grip it, as though he were ready to pull it from its sheath.

Malvina made her way through the crowd paralyzed by their fear. She paused every so often to glare down at one of the younger girls. Her mother wrapped her arms around her shoulders and gripped her tight.

“You think to keep me away by adding a curfew,” Malvina continued. “You think that will stop me from getting what I want?” She shook her head, moving down the line and pausing in front of Nicholas.

Ella ducked behind him, pressing her cheek against the rough material of his cloak. A shiver of fear went through her.

“Youhave them,” the queen said.

“I do not,” Nicholas responded. “Why would I have a pair of slippers?”

There was a long pause. Ella peeked around his elbow. The queen’s eyes narrowed to dark slits.

“Indeed, why? I sense them, though.”

Nicholas’s hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white.

“Here with you. You’re helping her hide them, aren’t you?”

Nicholas unsheathed his sword in a blur of motion. Malvina stepped back to avoid being stuck in the gut, her hands up. Surprise flickered over her face but was quickly replaced with malice. She flung her hands out toward him, punching him with a black cloud of magic.

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